When Will Artsakh's Parliament Have a New President?

According to the "Hraparak" newspaper, the Artsakh Parliament made a change in the election rules for the President of the National Assembly during its extraordinary session yesterday. Due to the current Constitution of Artsakh, the President of the National Assembly assumes the responsibilities of the head of state after the resignation of the country's president. Therefore, a political decision was made in the existing situation and under martial law to shorten the timeframe for electing the President of the National Assembly to the minimum possible, reducing it from 10 days to 2.

This is precisely why Arthur Tovmasyan did not officially submit his resignation within the past few days; otherwise, the old law would apply, and the parliament would remain without a speaker for 10 days.

It is anticipated in Artsakh that the new speaker will be elected no later than Tuesday during an extraordinary session. According to the procedure, parliamentary factions will present their candidates, and there is a political consensus around the candidacy of Davit Ishkhanyan from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.

The speaker of the National Assembly is elected by a simple majority of votes, which in the case of the Artsakh Parliament requires 17 votes. Araik Harutyunyan's "Free Homeland" holds 16 votes, the ARF has 3, but in the case of Ishkhanyan's nomination, he will also be supported by other opposition factions, namely the National Unity Party and "Justice."

For more details, see today's issue of the newspaper.